Ottawa County
Ottawa County was organized in 1837. It covers about 563.5 square miles of land, ranking as the 51st largest county in Michigan by total area. Ottawa County has a population of over 296,200, and Grand Haven serves as the county seat.
The Ottawa County court system comprises two Circuit Courts, two District Courts, and a Probate Court. The Ottawa County Circuit Courts handle all legal matters, including felonies, juvenile delinquency, equity cases, and civil cases of more than $25,000. In addition, the Circuit Court has a Family Division for domestic and juvenile cases, such as adoptions, paternity, divorce, and child protection. The Ottawa District Courts have authority over certain civil and criminal cases, such as preliminary hearings for felonies, misdemeanors, most traffic violations, and civil cases where the amount in dispute is under $25,000. Each District Court has a Small Claims Division. The Ottawa Probate Court has jurisdiction over juvenile matters, probate of wills, conservatorships, and guardianships.
Ottawa County public court records are legal information that is accessible online. The county's court system gives the public access to all public court proceedings. These records consist of diverse case files containing documents, evidence, notices, and case transcripts.
Generally, Ottawa County makes public court records available for the following types of cases:
- Civil records
- Traffic records
- Domestic records
- Probate records
- Criminal records
The Ottawa County Clerk/Register of Deeds keeps court records, including criminal and civil case information/documents. These court records are readily available for free online through the Michigan Court Case Search (MiCOURT). Records can be searched by party name or case number. Certain sensitive records, such as those related to personal protection orders and juvenile cases, are restricted from public access. For criminal case files where the sentence exceeds 7 years, individuals must contact the court directly, as these records are not displayed on the MiCOURT Case Search portal.
